June 2013

June 17, 2013

The Cowboys gave Miles Austin a day off during the mandatory
mini-camp last week, and he sat out some of the voluntary practices before
that.

It was by design. The Cowboys were trying to protect Austin from himself,
getting him off the field every now and then to keep him from overworking his
hamstrings.

He said he thinks it helped.

“It’s one of those things where, you can’t not do it and then do
it and tell the difference,” he said last week at Valley Ranch as the team
wrapped up the offseason. “But I feel good now.”

Austin
has been slowed by hamstring problems each of the past two seasons. He missed six
games in 2011, and last year he missed part of training camp because of hamstrings.
He played in all 16 games, but he couldn’t finish either game against Washington because of
hip and ankle injuries.

“During the year, there’s going to be injuries,” he said. “You’re
going to be banged up here and there, but you’ve just got to fight through it.
I felt like last year, I might have been banged up a few times throughout the
season, but I kept going back with it, kept practicing, kept playing.”

Austin
said he would have rather practiced every day during the OTAs and mini-camp,
given his choice.

“I want to go,” he said. “When Coach says you can’t, you just
kind of have to sit there and not go. But it’s tough for me, sometimes, just to
watch the other guys going and not be out there, especially in this heat and
knowing how it is to play wideout. You’re out there running. You get tired, and
you want at least a few more bodies in there to take some of that load off.”

June 14, 2013

The Cowboys walked away from the spring practices sold on new
center Travis Frederick’s football intelligence.

It was what they thought it was.

“One of the traits that we identified early was his ability to
communicate, his retention of the system, his ability to communicate it out,” offensive
line coach Bill Callahan said. “Those are all real positives that came to
fruition during the course of the mini-camps and the OTAs.”

Frederick
practiced only at center during the spring as the Cowboys gave him every snap
they could at the position they drafted him to play.

“For a young guy, he really seems to grasp what we’re trying to
get accomplished in a short period of time,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “The
challenge for him is blocking across from him. It’s Hatcher. It’s Ratliff. It’s
some of those guys. That’s a tough ball snap. I think he’s understanding that.”

Frederick
said he’s got the big stuff down. It’s the little stuff he’s working on now – “the
technique things here and there, instead of trying to pick up a playbook and
pick that stuff up,” he said. “I feel like I’ve picked that up pretty well as
far as assignments and stuff like that, but obviously, there will be little
things here and there.

“And once we start seeing some different defenses, it’s going to
be a little bit more as well. Right now, I’m just focused on working on a lot
of the little technique stuff in pass protection and running and taking advantage
of a lot of the things that Coach Callahan has taught me.”

Callahan is good with that. Frederick
at least doesn’t have to be shown twice.

“You tell him one time, and he gets it,” Callahan said. “He may
err on occasion, but he’s not a repetitive error guy. He’s not going to make
the same mistake twice. He listens, he learns. He understands the situations
that he’s in and he can fix it on the move. He can rectify them pretty quick.
So it’s been a real positive from that sense.”

June 13, 2013

Rookie center Travis Frederick always practices and plays with confidence. It's one of the things the Cowboys liked about him when they made him the 31st-overall draft pick in April.

“He comes to work every day,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s a very smart guy. I think he does have a presence in there physically but also just with the approach that he takes. He’s a confident player. For a young guy, he really seems to grasp what we’re trying to get accomplished in a short period of time. The challenge for him is blocking across from him. It’s [Jason] Hatcher. It’s [Jay] Ratliff. It’s some of those guys. That’s a tough [assignment]. I think he’s understanding that. It’s not always going to be perfect. He has to keep battling and keep fighting.”

But his comfort level has grown a lot since he walked through the Valley Ranch door April 27, two days after the Cowboys drafted him. He has been through nine OTAs and six minicamp practices, including the rookie camp, and although he has yet to snap a ball to Tony Romo, Frederick is making himself at home as the team's starting center.

"I’m certainly a lot more comfortable, still really improving on a lot of things on a daily basis," Frederick said. "Now my focus has really changed to the little things, the technique things here and there instead of trying to pick up a playbook and pick that stuff up. I feel like I’ve picked that up pretty well as far as assignments and stuff like that, but obviously there will be little things here and there and once we start seeing some different defenses it’s going to be a little bit more as well. Right now I’m just focused on working on a lot of the little technique stuff in pass protection and running and taking advantage of a lot of the things that coach [Bill] Callahan has taught me."

That Frederick is learning the offense quickly is no surprise. He scored a 34 on the 50-question Wonderlic test at the Scouting Combine.

“He’s a quick learner,” offensive line coach Bill Callahan said. “You tell him one time, and he gets it. He may err on occasion, but he’s not a repetitive-error guy. He’s not going to make the same mistake twice. He listens; he learns. He understands the situations that he’s in, and he can fix it on the move. He can rectify them pretty quick. So it’s been a real positive from that sense.”

The NFL has 12x6x12 bags with team logos on sale at
www.nflshop.com, but fans can obtain their own anywhere, the league said. The
price of the bags on www.nflshop.com was unavailable Thursday afternoon, but the text of the policy is there.

Vice-president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys will look at signing linebacker Sean Lee ot a contract extension before the end of the season to keep him from hitting the free agetn market.

"He is going to into the last year of his contract," Jones said. "That is something we will look at."

Lee wants to continue his career with the Cowboys but he said his focus is staying on the field and helping the Cowboys win.

He believes if he does that the contract situation will take care of itself.

"I just want to play football. that is the key for me," Lee said. "I want to be on the field, helping our team win. When it comes to contract that stuff plays itself out. Right now I'm just blessed to be out here. I just need to find a way to stay on the field."

Staying on the field is a big deal for Lee, who has taken over as the leader of the defense and is certainly worthy of a contract extension to remain with the team. However, it is no secret that he has been plagued by injuries. Lee missed ten games last with torn ligaments in his big toe after missing three games his first two seasons.

"I need to be out there helping our team win," Lee said. "I need to be out there for a full season. Hopefully I can do my part to help us get the playoffs and win a super bowl. I have to be out there to do that."

Cowboys vice-president Stephen Jones said the team is in no hurry to make a move with defensive tackle Josh Brent _ even though he is facing intoxication manslaughter charges for his role in the death of practice-squad linebacker Jerry Brown.

His trial is set for September and he faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

There is no chance Brent plays with the Cowboys in 2013 yet he remains on the team's active roster

"Josh’s situation is obviously one that will take care of itself," Jones said. "He’s working through his legal issues and I’m sure the NFL and the Cowboys at that point will know where we stand."

Asked if the Cowboys would make a roster move before camp so they can use Brent's spot for another players, Jones said the team will continue to monitor the situation.

The big question is to why Brent is still on the roster at all, considering his legal situation and the recent problem of failing a drug test, went unanswered by Jones.

"I don’t have any comment other than what I said," Jones said. "We’ll monitor what happens legally and go from there."|

Joseph Randle wishes he had been able to practice in the team's OTAs and minicamp, but he can't do anything to speed the healing on his surgically repaired right thumb. The fifth-round draft pick, who had two surgeries to repair ligament damage, will have his cast removed June 21.

"I wish it was tomorrow," Randle said. "...I'm just going to have a little brace on there, but I'm going to be good to go [after getting the cast removed]."

The Cowboys drafted Randle to backup DeMarco Murray. Murray has missed nine games with injuries in his two seasons.

Dallas knew when it selected Randle that he would not be ready until training camp, but Randle has spent the off-season staying in shape and getting "mental reps." He weighs 207 now, up from 198 last season, and expects to play at that weight.

"It is what it is," Randle said of his injury. "All you can do is be your best. All I can do right now is workout and mentally be ready and know the plays and stuff like that. So I've just got to do what I can right now and continue to learn each day."

Randle rushed for 3,085 yards at Oklahoma State, and he scored 40 rushing touchdowns. He said he will stay in town after getting the cast removed in order to take some handoffs and "get back in the swing of things."

The goal for the Cowboys in 2013 is simple, according to
vice-president Stephen Jones.

It’s to compete for a Super Bowl title.

That would seem to be quite a leap for a Cowboys team that has
missed the playoffs the last three years and have only two playoffs since their
last Super Bowl title in 1995.

But Jones’ criteria of competing for a championship seems to
be quite different than when the organization won three Super Bowl titles in
1990s and were named the team of the decade.

He believes competing for a title is defined as getting into
the playoffs, considering they way the Packers, Giants and Ravens went from
wildcard participants to Super Bowl champs in each of the last three years.

“The last three teams that won championships barely got into
the playoffs and did something about it,” Jones said. “You’re probably not
being realistic if you don’t think things have changed in the last 10 years. There
are probably a lot of people who feel they have a chance to win a
championship based on the level playing field and how the cap has affected the
game. We feel like we have an opportunity to compete for a championship.”

It’s also not lost on Jones that the Cowboys were won game
away from making the playoffs in each of the last two years.

He says the Cowboys made changes in the offseason to get
over in the hump in 2013, including the overhauling of the coaching staff and
changing of systems on offense and defense, as well as the hiring of a new
special teams coach.

Combine all that with the return to health of several key
starters from a year ago and Jones believes the Cowboys have what it takes to
finally compete for a title this year and win it.

“We put a team together we think can compete for a
championship,” Jones said. “We need to stay healthy. We think we got good
football players. We think we have improved our team this year. We feel like we
have systems in place that better fit our personnel on both sides of the ball. We
got a new special teams coach and we expect to get better there. I feel like we
have the players that can win a championship.

I feel like the teams that won championships last year, we
can compete with them and were right there competing with them maybe without a
full deck,” Jones added. “We have confidence that this team will win a championship.”

June 12, 2013

Dez Bryant made spectacular catches against the defense of Morris Claiborne in mini-camp on Wednesday.

A lot of them.

But the Cowboys receiver put a positive spin on it for the Cowboys cornerback – he made it require spectacular catches.

“That is credit to the great defenses and the coverage,” Bryant said. “He is putting pressure on me and making it difficult for me to make the catch. So you can’t take that away. I’m just trying my best to make a play.”

Maybe it’s a sign that Claiborne can take a step forward in his second year. He started 15 games last year as a first-round pick, but he had only one interception, so his impact was not considered splashy.

Then again, he missed all of the offseason last year recovering from wrist surgery.

“I’m a lot more comfortable,” Claiborne said. “Last year I was searching to find a place because I didn’t have an off-season. Now it is what it is. I’m a lot more comfortable just because I’m out here having the opportunity to get better.”

Healthy this spring, Claiborne hit the weight room and added six pounds. Bryant has noticed.

“He is a lot stronger,” Bryant said. “You can tell by looking at him. He is real tough. That’s what I love. He is adding an element to his game, that is, being more physical.

“He already has the eye for the ball. He has the hands of a receiver. He is just putting pieces together to be one of the best in the league.”

Tyrone Crawford said he sees himself as a defensive end, which is
where the Cowboys have tried playing him during the OTAs and mini-camp.

It’s where he played in college at Boise State,
and where he feels good.

“Yeah, I loved it in college. I loved playing on the outside in
college,” he said Wednesday after a mini-camp practice. “And then being able to
go inside and play tackle a little bit. I’m happy we got into this year and are
doing it.”

He called the difference between the positions “day and night.”

“I was playing inside last year, playing against a guard. Now,
I’m playing against tackle every time or a tight end and a tackle,” he said.

Crawford said he has trimmed down to 285 pounds, the target
weight the Cowboys wanted him to aim for this year.

So not only is he a bit slimmer and in a new position, he has
changed numbers. He has gone from 70 to 98.

“I’m always the same person. The number really doesn’t matter,”
he said.